Young Love at Its Truest
by Inky Hula
Summary: “What are you asking of me, Troy?” she finally said. “Are you asking me to…well…I don’t know, go back? Because I don’t know if I can do that." What happened after Troy surprised Gabriella at Stanford?
1. Oneshot

**AN: So this is my first try at a Troyella fic. Many thanks go to adcgordon for reading over it and providing feedback.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _High School Musical_. I just love the franchise dearly.**

**Summary: Small anecdotes from what happened in between Troy coming to get Gabriella from Stanford and when they ran onto the stage during the senior musicale in _High School Musical 3: Senior Year_.**

"_You might be ready to say goodbye to East High, but East High's not ready to say goodbye to you." Troy said solemnly, bringing his hand to trace her hair down her cheek_.

Gabriella looked away for a moment. She was overwhelmed. First, there had been the surprise of seeing him, standing in a tree, after she got out of her class that afternoon. At Stanford. At Stanford! 1053 miles from Albuquerque. And then there was the love that was clearly emanating from him.

"What are you asking of me, Troy?" she finally said, bringing her chocolate eyes back up to meet his deep azure ones. "Are you asking me to…well…I don't know, go back? Because I don't know if I can do that, even with--"

"Shh…" he pressed his index finger to her delicate red-tinged lips. "Gabriella, you don't need to say anything," echoing what she had told him just before she left. "I'm not asking anything of you right now. I just want you to think." He took a step towards her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her lustrous curls. He felt her arms wrap tightly around his torso, and sensed her sigh into his chest.

She rose up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "I missed you."

He threaded his fingers through her hair and pressed the side of her face against his. "I missed you too."

They listened to each other breathe in the silence of the park.

"And you know, I never got to say it back…" he whispered. She could feel his hard chest vibrate and expand as he took a breath.

"I love you, too."

She only grasped his body to hers tighter. He pressed his lips to the top of her head.

* * *

The sun had almost set, and Troy was sitting on a bench, contemplating the absolute craziness that had happened in the past forty-eight hours of his life. Gabriella was sitting beside him, her head heavy on his shoulder, their fingers twined together, and his arm around her.

"You know, I've been thinking…" she thought aloud.

"Do you ever stop?" He jokingly replied.

She giggled and playfully jabbed him in his side with her elbow. "No. And you know it. Anyways, so I just had a question…"

"And I'm waiting for it…"

She giggled again. "How on earth did this all come together? Like, you drove up here? From Albuquerque? And you knew where my class was and when it ended and where I put my bike and--"

"Wow, that's a loaded question. Actually, more like loaded multiple questions." He contemplated for a moment on how to explain it all. "Let's just say that you better be glad that I like you. A lot."

She looked at his wide grin and felt her own mouth stretch into a smile. "I'm so glad that you like me enough to give me an actual answer."

"No, I just think that it's best to leave it. The fact is, I'm here, and that's what's important, right?"

"Nah, my boyfriend's here? I don't see anything special about that," she kidded.

He shrugged away from her at that comment. "You'll have to pay for that, Miss Montez."

She looked a little put out that he had moved away from her. "How?" He even heard a little fear in her voice.

"I guess I'll just have to…tickle you!" His fingers wriggled around her stomach and she gasped and laughed.

"Troy…Troy…TROY! Stop it!" Giggles burst out as he continued, making his way up to her armpits. He chuckled, thinking that it had been too long since he had heard that delightful little high-pitched laugh.

He finally stopped, giving them both time to catch their breath and smile at each other.

"Come on," he said. "I think your mom's waiting for us to join her for dinner."

"What? Mom knows you're here? What?"

"Gabriella…chill. Honestly." Troy pulled her into a standing position with him. "Yes, she does know that I'm here. And you don't need to know anything more."

"Okay." She wound her arm across his back as they ambled slowly towards his truck.

He opened her door for her. She thought that she would never stop feeling joy from the sweet, little things that he did. "Now, you can just hop right in and buckle yourself up. I'll be right back." He shut the door.

"Uh, where are you going?" she called out through the open window.

He reached her bike and unparked it. Putting it on his shoulders, he made his way purposefully back to his truck and placed it securely in. He stood outside her door. "To get your bike," he grinned and kissed her on the cheek.

After settling himself into the driver's seat, he gazed at her. She was smiling back at him, her lips turned up in that way that his memory could never justify.

They leaned over the console, meeting halfway. Their lips greeted each other, tongues tangling. A more passionate kiss than the one exchanged a few hours before. Troy held her face to his, angling it the best way for their mouths to fit together. Gabriella's hands locked around his neck, drawing their torsos flush.

Her stomach interrupted, gurgling.

They unwillingly drew apart from each other, breaths a little heavier. "Come on, let's go eat dinner." He took her hand in his and started the truck.

* * *

"Good night," he wished her. This time it was he who wound his fingers through her hair. He hugged her one last time before they stepped into their separate bedrooms.

Two hours later, Gabriella was still wide awake. She had already gone over the Periodic Table of Elements in her head, naming each element, its number, and mass. She had listed the presidents in order forwards and backwards.

And finally, on a completely unrelated topic, she found herself listing all of the things she loved about Troy. Once she started, she couldn't stop. It was actually energizing her.

"Argh!" she yell-whispered. She climbed out of bed and stood in front of her window. Here, there was no balcony. Here, there was no tree or hammock or picnic table. All she could see was grass. Boring grass.

She padded out of her bedroom, and paused. Taking a careful step, making sure her weight didn't fall too quickly and make a sound, she held her breath and peeked through the crack of the guest bedroom's door. She couldn't see or hear anything. _Dang it_.

She then gingerly stepped into the kitchen, where she fixed herself a glass of water. Sitting on the couch, curling her legs beneath her, she took a deep breath and sighed. _Here is where I begin to think over what happened today._

After a few minutes of reflection, she imagined she heard soft footfalls. No, she _was_ hearing soft footfalls. And then she felt soft muscular arms wrap around her and the deep, slow breaths of a basketball player she had fallen in love with.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh…" he whispered in her ear.

In one fluid movement, he had slid onto the couch next to her and leaned on her, resting his head on her shoulder and hugging her waist. She started absentmindedly playing with a few strands of his long bronze hair. "So why couldn't you sleep…?"

"Adrenaline." He said simply. "This sudden trip to get you…it pumped me up, almost like a basketball game. But I think I'm getting closer to sleep." He yawned. "You?"

"Just everything that's happened since you got here." He watched her lips curve up into a soft smile that never failed to take his breath away. "Are you proud that you occupy my thoughts so thoroughly that I can't sleep?"

"Hm…I'll have to think about that," he said, nestling his head deeper into her neck.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, enjoying each other's company and the full body contact that they had.

"What do you think about when you're trying to fall asleep?" Gabriella posed the question out loud.

"Huh?" Troy replied drowsily. "Ugh…sorry…I keep on almost falling asleep on you."

"No, it's okay if you do. We both need to sleep. Especially you."

"Nah, I deal all right with sleep dep…dep…deprivation. What were you asking again? Something about thinking and sleeping."

Gabriella's body relaxed more into his. "What do you think about when you're trying to fall asleep? Like, you know, there's that whole counting sheep thing that people supposedly do."

"I list the players, their positions, and their average points per game. On the Lakers. You know what I mean…Gosh. I'm awake. Really. Plplplplplplplplpl." He vibrated his lips, rubbed his hands together, and sat up straight. She watched as he shook his head, sending his hair flying. "What do you think about? Probably something to do with your freaky math or science stuff." He nudged her. "I'm just kidding."

She smiled wider. "You're actually right on the mark. The Periodic Table of Elements. You know. I did the presidents for fun. And then—" she paused.

"Then what?" He squeezed her hand. "You know you can tell me anything."

She almost groaned. She was _still_ a bit timid with him, and still couldn't believe that they were together. He was the most popular person in the school and had girls fawning over him. How did they end up together? Sighing, she decided to give in. "I was listing all of the things I loved about you. The sweet things that you do."

Troy felt that he wasn't very good at expressing how much he cared about her in words. The best he could do at that moment was press soft kisses to her forehead, cheeks, nose, and finally lips.

The sweetest kiss. No sparks of lust, just lips sliding and caressing, conveying affection, adoration, and love.

Half an hour later, they were lying on their sides on the couch, Troy hugging Gabriella to his side, although she was still on the verge of falling off. He seemed to be asleep. She gently shook his shoulder. "Wildcat?" she whispered. "Wildcat?" She shook a bit harder.

"Hm…" he groaned and attempted to roll over, effectively forcing her to get off.

"Come on. Let's go to bed." She uselessly pulled one of his arms, not even budging him a bit.

"No…want…to…stay…" he moved his mouth slowly.

"I don't want my mom to see us, or you, rather, in the morning like that. Come on. Up." She tugged harder.

He reluctantly got up, moving one body part at a time, keeping his hand connected with hers. He staggered, and then caught himself. "So you think anymore about coming home with me?" he whispered.

"I'll make my decision in the morning."

"M'kay…"

They reached the adjacent bedrooms. "Good night, again." She smiled, hugging him and supporting nearly his entire weight.

"G'night, Gabriella…" He murmured.

* * *

"Good morning, honey. Good morning, Troy." Her mom greeted them as they stepped out of the hallway into the kitchen later in the morning, the morning sun illuminating their figures. She didn't fail to notice their twined hands.

"Good morning, Mom!" Gabriella cheerfully responded, while Troy gave her a grin and said, "Morning to you, Mrs. Montez."

"How did you sleep?"

Gabriella shot Troy a look before hurriedly looking in the other direction. "I slept alright, Mom."

"I slept like a baby." Troy commented. "Mm, those pancakes look delicious!"

"Why, thank you, Troy. What would you two like to drink with your breakfast?"

Gabriella opted for orange juice and Troy asked for milk. As they settled themselves at the table, Gabriella noticed that there were only two places set. "Oh, mom, did you get up and eat already?" Daughterly concern was discernable in her voice.

"Yes, I did, and I'm fine, Gabi." Mrs. Montez placed her hands on the back of her daughter's chair. "Do you have any plans for today?"

Gabriella and Troy looked at each other. "Um…I don't really know my way around, so it's up to Gabriella," Troy said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"I could show him around the area—maybe give him a tour of the campus," Gabriella volunteered.

Troy inwardly groaned. All he wanted to do was spend the day doing nothing with her.

"That seems like a good plan. Before you guys go out, Gabriella, could you and I talk? After you finish your breakfast, of course." Mrs. Montez left the room.

Gabriella quickly finished her blueberry pancakes. "Sorry, Troy, but I need to go talk with Mom."

"No problem." He smiled a heart-stopping beam and kissed her hand. "I'll just put the dishes away."

Gabriella tentatively made into her mother's bedroom. Mrs. Montez beckoned for her to sit with her on the neatly made bedspread.

"Honey, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about this. But I need to know this: What do _you_, _you_ as in Gabriella and Gabriella only, want to do? What do you feel, sweetie? Troy came to bring you back, and from what I can tell, you haven't given him an answer."

"Mom…that's hard to say."

"You know you can tell me anything. I'm your mother."

"Well. Here's what I know: Troy. He's…he's so _good _to me. Driving up here must have taken incredible courage." Mrs. Montez nodded. "I also know that I miss all of my East High friends."

"So it sounds like you've made up your mind," Mrs. Montez said, rubbing Gabriella's back.

"But Mom…I know that this is not supposed to happen. I'm supposed to stay here and get adjusted to Stanford. I know I can't do that if I'm rushing home so often and seeing my friends. I'll never get over missing them."

"Do you want to know what I think you should do, _mija_?"

Gabriella sighed. "It's like my head always controls my heart and decisions I make. I'm so _confused_; I don't know what direction I should step towards, which path to take."

"Here is what I think you should do." Mrs. Montez took one of Gabriella's hands in her own and looked into her daughter's eyes. "I think that you should follow your heart."

"But Mo-om—"

"I know, I know. Gabi, you've always been so focused on your schoolwork. You haven't had the chance to stay in one place and make good friends and form true bonds with them. And I know that it's mostly my fault for moving us around so much."

"No, Mom, you couldn't help it—"

"But this one opportunity, perhaps the only one you'll ever get, is precious. So are your friends. And especially Troy."

Gabriella blushed. This was a serious conversation.

"_Mija_, I know that you care for him. And he cares for you, so incredibly much. It's young love at its truest."

"Mom, this is embarrassing."

"Don't deny it, Gabi. You can say that you love him. It's okay. I can see it, and I'm not angry or anything."

Gabriella closed her eyes. In a small voice, she said, "I do…I do love him."

"And I think that you should go back for your senior musicale and graduation."

There was a small pause.

Gabriella nodded in confirmation.

"Now, do I need to ask you about last night also?"

"What?!"

"I saw that look you gave Troy there. I'm not completely blind, you know." Mrs. Montez smiled, gently squeezing her daughter's shoulder. "Just be safe."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "_Mama_…it was nothing. We didn't do anything. Nothing. Nada."

"I know, honey. You are a responsible young woman. I trust you. And I trust Troy, too. I don't believe that he would ever do something to hurt you." Mrs. Montez hugged her daughter tightly.

"He wouldn't ever."

* * *

Troy grabbed her hand as they raced toward the building. "I wonder how much we missed?" he shouted into the night.

Honey-sweet giggles spilled from Gabriella's mouth. "We're so crazy, Wildcat!" she yelled back.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because we're just running wildly in the night, shouting nonsense at each other!"

He grinned at her as he flung a door open and they ducked into the school's empty corridors. "I'll have you know that I shout nonsense all the time at you and you don't even comment about it." He lowered his voice to a whisper.

They continued sprinting toward the auditorium. Troy allowed his lungs to fill with air. Nothing invigorated him like exercise could. However, Gabriella panted as they skidded around a corner. "Troy!" she suddenly stopped and squatted down, putting her hands on her knees. "Can we rest a moment?"

Troy slid to a stop and spun around to face her. He drew in a sharp breath. Gabriella was trying to stabilize her breath, but was still wheezing. Her hair was up in a sloppy clip, strands of curly midnight hair cascading down. She was wearing a pretty silver-and-black dress that fittingly showed off her slender frame. Her shoulders were bare, the baby smooth skin calling out invitingly to him. Her cheeks were flushed a beautiful pink, more pretty than any blush she could brush over it. The chocolate brown eyes were focused on the floor, allowing the shadow of her long eyelashes to entrance him. She was almost sweating, but was still the most beautiful sight that Troy had had ever seen.

She slowly straightened back up and was startled by the intense gaze from his ocean blue eyes were boring into her. "Troy?" she hesitated.

He took two steps toward her and then grabbed her in a tight embrace, pressing his lips to the side of her neck. "You…are…so…" he punctuated each word with kisses trailing down the slender column. "Gorgeous." He pushed aside the necklace that he gave her and began sucking on the indent in her collarbone, letting his tongue escape and swirled it around, tasting her sweet scent.

She was entranced by his soft lips latched onto her skin. Her head involuntarily flung back, pushing her more into his mouth. She moaned his name, and it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. "Troy…you c…can't…"

"Mm…" he replied in a hushed sound, continuing his actions.

"Troy!" Gabriella brought his head up so she could gaze into his eyes. "You're going to leave a mark." She was now blushing furiously. He was still gazing at her with a bit of lust in his eyes. Where did that come from? He had never really done anything like that to her, with her. What brought this sudden change about?

Troy paused, as if her were rethinking and reliving the moment. He coughed. "It's just…just that you are so beautiful. And I can't help but think how I can't tell you how much I love you." He rested his forehead on hers. "I love you," he ran his fingers up and down her arm. "I love you." He traced her shoulder blades with a feather light touch.

Gabriella shivered. This newer, more passionate side of Troy left her on the verge of collapsing and her mind in a puddle. Their breaths mingled and time stood still. She entwined her arms around his hard torso—she loved his rippling muscles almost as much as she loved his soul—and squeezed her body as tight to his as she could, so there was no space between them whatsoever. He eagerly held her as they felt each other's hearts beating and listened to each other breathe.

As they slowly broke apart, Gabriella allowed herself to really look at Troy. Her gaze began at his face and the hair that she loved so much to run her hands through. Those long strands were messy, but no doubt that could be fixed by one swish of his head or by raking his fingers through it. She dropped her gaze to the eyes that she could spend eternity drowning in. The azure was softer now, more tender. She was fascinated by his mouth and the smile that could cause her heart to skip a beat. Those lips had just been on her skin. They were perfect. She could never forget the taste of them but didn't mind being reminded of it often. Then she ran her eyes over his chest and torso. She had never before really thought about how she had an athlete for a boyfriend. Of course, it was a big part of who he was, but she often forgot that he had background for himself when the spent time together. Now she saw the body that resulted. His chest was a wide expanse of muscle that was covered by a dark blue striped shirt. His arms were also cut, his long and hard hours at the gym working out and practicing clearly paying off. The sinew of his biceps, triceps, forearms…they called out to her. They represented how strong a person he really was, both inside and out. He was wearing dark jeans that suddenly made him seem so much…alluring. She finally returned to his eyes—those orbs of liquid cerulean.

Gabriella thought he was truly beautiful.

Words almost failed to escape her as she leaned back into him. She rose on her tiptoes as he dropped his face towards her. She let her lips trail across his cheek as he sucked in a breath and whispered in his ear, "You…you are my everything."

That was it. Troy gripped her tightly once again—would they ever get tired of this embrace? He didn't think so—and peppered kisses all over her face. "I…I…" Gabriella's breathing began to quicken again. He ran his lips across her forehead, down the line of her perfect nose, suckled gently at end. "Oh god…" His lips then found their rightful place, buried within hers. She gasped into his mouth, "I love you…" and suddenly thrust her tongue into the deep, wet cavern. Troy eagerly received it, allowing his tongue to play with it, twining and then tracing the rooftop of her mouth. His hands started wandering too and Gabriella thought that she would faint from the sensations that they were causing. He started at her shoulders and slowly traced down her arms. One hand remained at her waist, tracing slow circles around her hip bone. The other traced back up her spine, sending tingles down the cord and Gabriella shivered once again.

She placed her palms against his built chest and began outlining each muscle. Troy's breathing hitched. This was so good, too good. He had never felt this ecstasy before. Her hands began roaming to places where they had never strayed to before—dipping down to just above the waistband of his jeans, letting a finger tug on a belt loop. The bliss didn't compare to anything—not winning his final high school basketball championship, not going after her at Stanford and seeing her dazzling smile for the first time in two weeks, not that reunion kiss. Nothing.

He was promising himself to her forever, and knew that she was promising herself to him in turn. They would remain together, through thick and thin, no matter what issue arose, coming in between them…they would last through time and eternity.

Their motions slowed. "I guess we should go see what we're missing, huh?" His voice, still husky, brought her back to the present.

Gabriella slowly nodded. "I guess…"

He reached down, tenderly lacing their fingers together. He brought them up and kissed the back of her hand, letting his lips rejoice in the supple skin.

Troy tenderly smiled at her. "Let's go."

They began running again, through one corridor and up the next, until they got to the back door to the rehearsal rooms behind the auditorium. Troy reached out and slowly pulled the handle open. They slipped through, hands still entwined. A sound grew in volume and they realized that it was applause. They raced backstage and there appeared Ryan and Sharpay, clearly having just rushed off the stage.

"_Oh perfect! Go for it! Save the day, whoopee!"_

* * *

**AN: If you got all the way down here...congratulations and thank you so much! I really appreciate the time that you took to read my story. I love and appreciate feedback of any kind, and I genuinely want to improve my writing, so it would be nice if you could leave a review. Go on, press that little green button down there...it's calling out to you! ;)**


	2. Prequel

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from High School Musical. I just really love the franchise.**

**Prequel summary: What did Troy have to go through before his and Gabriella's reunion at Stanford?**

**AN: So my muse decided that it wanted me to write a little prequel, or flashback, of sorts for the original one-shot. What's funny is that it actually turned out to be longer than the original one-shot. Many thanks go to adcgordon for providing feedback. I'm also incredibly grateful and appreciative to everyone who has read, reviewed, and favorited this story. It means so much to me. Thanks again, and enjoy!**

* * *

"Um, Mom, can I talk to you about something?" Troy tentatively asked his mother. It was the day after Gabriella had told him that she wasn't coming back to Albuquerque for prom and graduation. Troy had done a lot of thinking in those twenty-four hours, and finally made up his mind.

He was going to bring her back.

It didn't matter if his parents or Gabriella's mother helped him in planning the journey. Heck, it didn't even matter if they gave the decision their blessing or not. Once Troy resolved to do something, it wasn't easy to stop him. And he had realized that he was more passionate about his feelings for Gabriella than anything else that he had previously thought. He was determined.

His mother halted peeling the green cultured cucumbers that she was preparing for the salad which would comprise part of their dinner. "Sure, honey, whatever you want." She placed the peeler carefully on the island in their kitchen and then turned her full attention on her only son.

Troy swallowed thickly. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would be.

"Well…um…" He tried clearing his throat again.

His mother just looked at him patiently.

Troy sighed. "You know Gabriella's not coming back for prom, right?"

Mrs. Bolton nodded. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It'll be alright. You'll just go with the rest of your friends, and you'll have a marvelous time, and you'll come home--"

"Mom." He interrupted. "That's not going to happen."

A puzzled look settled upon her face. "You're not going? After all Gabriella did to help you pick out the tuxedo, I don't get to see you in it? And what about the corsage that I ordered?" He could feel the distress starting to appear in her voice.

"Mom." He repeated again. "I don't care if I miss prom."

"But—"

"I'm not going to go to any prom without my girlfriend. And since Gabriella's clearly not going, I'm not going either."

"Troy, it doesn't matter—"

Troy became impatient and had to restrain himself from shouting. "Mom! Can I just talk?!"

The muscles in his mother's face instantly attempted to relax. "Sure, honey, I'm sorry. Go ahead. I'll just listen."

He exhaled noisily. "Anyways. Like I said, I'm not going to prom without Gabriella. So I want to get her."

Awkward silence.

Mrs. Bolton's brow creased. She appeared to be in deep contemplation, as if she were organizing her thoughts. Finally, half a minute later, her brow smoothed back out.

"Well, Troy, it seems like you've already made up your mind."

This was tricky. What was Troy supposed to say? How could he say it in a way that would prevent her from forbidding him to go? He braced himself. "You could say that."

Another pause that was too long for Troy's liking.

"How, exactly, are you planning to do this?"

Troy looked upwards, silently praying for this to turn out well. "We-ell, I was hoping that you would help me with that part."

"Mm-hmm." His mother nodded slowly, her head bobbing rhythmically. "That is, talk to Mrs. Montez, arrange for your absence from school, plan your route, pay for your gas, get your car checked so it doesn't break down…"

"Mom, if you don't want me to go, then just say it." He returned his gaze to the floor in defeat. When she didn't reply, he slowly raised his eyes and fixed them on her face. "What? You're really not saying no? What?"

Mrs. Bolton tried not to chuckle at her son's face, more eager and anticipatory than she had seen it in two weeks. She could see the change that had occurred when Gabriella left. It was as if a part of his heart had left him. His normally illuminating blue eyes had lost the sparkle to it. Now, it was back. "I'm really not saying no."

"Wha…god…holy…thank you so much Momma!" Troy rushed to his mother and wrapped his arms around her from behind, squeezing her as tight as he could.

"Hold on, Troy. It's not that easy." She let out the laugh that had been bubbling inside of her. "You—you, not me—are going to do most of the work. You are going to have to talk to Mrs. Montez and your father. You're going to have to go on MapQuest or something to find your way there. You're going to pay for your own gas."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Troy was barely listening anymore. He felt like bursting out into song and dance that was entirely contrary to the one he had done the night before. He could go get her! They were going to spend prom together! His mother's voice broke his thoughts. "Troy? Are you still listening to me? Because this is actually quite serious. I hope you've thoroughly considered this decision."

Troy's tone of voice immediately became solemn. "Mom. Of course I've thought this through," he uttered, when in fact, he did kind of make the decision in one big rush. But once he thought about it, he wouldn't have made a different choice anyways. "But, uh…can you talk to all the people? I'm going to be pretty busy packing and looking for directions and stuff." He was hoping to get out of the conversation with his father, and also Mrs. Montez. He knew that it would be even more awkward than this one.

His mother let out a huff of air. "Hah!" she scoffed. "Honey, you're not getting out of anything. The only thing that I _would_ help you with is packing and directions. And maybe I'd call the school. But _you_ are going to have to start those conversations with Mrs. Montez and your father. No using me as a way in."

Troy sighed. His mother never gave him any slack. "Fine, momma."

"When are you planning to leave, by the way? I don't even think that you've realized how much driving you're going to do. My god, how many miles is it from here to Stanford?"

"It's 1053 miles, Ma."

His mother stared. "How do you know that off the top of your head?"

"I just do, Mom. And I looked it up, and it said that it's going to be about fifteen hours driving." Troy hoped and begged the god of mothers that she would let him drive the entire distance in his less-than-trustworthy truck.

"Well, I can't really take back my permission now…" his mother mused. "You would go anyways. But I want you to get your truck checked at the shop by the time you leave. And you have to get both your dad's and my approval of your little itinerary that you're going to show us after dinner."

Troy blinked in surprise. "Wha…okay, mom." He was really doing this.

* * *

Troy attempted to take deep breaths. After about two and a half, he exhaled in one big gust. This conversation was _not_ going to go well, regardless of any way he'd decide to start it off. He still wasn't on comfortable speaking terms with his father after their tense conversation that night on the basketball court.

Jack Bolton stepped into the study. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah."

Jack sank into the large leather rotating chair. Pointing at Troy, he said, "Go for it."

"Alright. Uh…I don't know if you know, but Gabriella called me yesterday afternoon."

"Nothing less than I expected." His dad nodded.

"Uh, yeah. Well, what she told me was kind of…surprising." Troy took a tentative breath and leaned against the wall. "She's not coming back for prom. Or the musical."

"Hm." A slight bit of interest flickered in Jack Bolton's eyes. "That's not the best thing."

"No," Troy agreed, "no, it's not."

An awkward pause ensued. _How many more awkward silences has God planned for me to endure today?_, Troy thought.

"So. Is that all? Did you want to talk about something else with me?" His dad asked pointedly.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did actually. About the Gabriella not coming back thing. I'm gonna go get her."

His dad raised his eyebrows. "You are?"

"I am."

Pause.

"You are." His dad affirmed again.

Troy sighed. He might as well jump off the cliff. Raising his arms in surrender, he asked, "Dad. Can you please tell me what you're thinking?"

His dad pushed his feet off the ground and spun around slowly in the chair a few times before answering. "Well, what do you want me to think or say that I think?"

Troy held back a groan. He was getting frustrated. "Well, are you going to let me go?"

"Whatever I say isn't going to stop you, is it?" Troy groaned out loud this time. That was comparable to what his mother had said. His parents were on more similar wavelengths than he had thought.

"Uh, I guess not, but I still kind of…er…want your approval, I guess." Patience was not a virtue that he possessed at the very moment.

"You really want to know what I think?" Jack asked.

Troy braced himself after answering, "Yeah." This was only a bit of calm before the hurricane that was coming.

Jack clasped his hands together and put his eyes on Troy's. "Maybe you should think this over a bit, son. I think Gabriella knows what's best for her. Besides, you still need to keep up your workouts and do something about that U of A scholarship sitting in your hands."

Troy had expected something like this and was prepared with a retort. "Dad. This isn't going to interfere with anything. Basketball season's over. I need to take a break sometime!"

"Troy, you have to focus. Keep your eye on the prize, remember?" Jack reminded his only son.

"Basketball's not always going to be in my future, Dad, you know that." Troy scoffed.

"Do I?"

Troy spit, "I'm not gonna go to U of A just because I got a basketball scholarship!" His hands clenched and unclenched, leaving nail imprints on his palms.

"But like we talked about the other night, you've been wanting this since you were a little kid!"

"But again, Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore!" He wished he could just pound the fact into his father's head. "I'm freaking eighteen years old! I can drive! I want to make my own decisions!"

"Troy, you know this isn't about only basketball," his father tried to reason with him. "This is about your future in college and after college."

"How? How on earth does going to get Gabriella for prom and the musical have to do with my future in college?" Troy threw his hands in the air.

"How does it _not_?!" His father threw back him. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about going to a college close to her."

"Gabriella isn't and won't affect my decision regarding which college I'll go to!" He winced. That was a blatant lie.

His dad saw straight through it. "Troy. That's bull. You know it. But she _shouldn't_ be affecting your choice. She's just a girl. There will be other girls. But there won't be any other scholarship opportunities."

"She's _just_ a girl? _Just_ a girl?"

"I only want—"

"What's best for me! I know that, Dad!" Troy shouted. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. All of his frustrations about Gabriella, life, basketball, parents, theater…they all led up to this cliff. "But did you ever consider what I've been wanting for myself?! Can you even fathom how much this means to me?! How much _Gabriella_ means to me?!" Passion seeped from his voice. He didn't care that he was talking about his love for Gabriella in such frank terms, wasn't going to blush and shy away. "I _love_ her!"

Jack Bolton froze. The only sound in the room was Troy's heaving breaths, his lungs working at maximum capacity. Neither spoke.

Troy glared at his father. "I _love_ her," he repeated, "and I'm going to get her."

He stomped out of the room and twenty seconds later the sound came of his battered truck roaring to life.

Jack Bolton still hadn't moved.

* * *

_Dang it, dang it, dang it,_ Troy pounded his steering wheel. Did he really say that? Out loud? To his dad? _Dang it, dang it dang it,_ he repeated in his head.

Troy had always known that he had been more serious about his feelings for Gabriella than he had been for any other girl. It was similar to the passion that he had for basketball. The instant he had heard her sing karaoke, he had been entranced by her voice and her beauty. He knew that he should count his lucky stars that he was able to witness the beautiful metamorphosis of Gabriella. In fact, the change in her demeanor during the song they had sung could have been a direct representation of their relationship. She had come off a little shy at the beginning of their strange relationship, hesitant to sing her lines. But as the song played on and as they grew to know each other deeper, she emerged from her shell and he discovered that she was a gorgeous, funny, witty, and smart girl. The time that they had spent together was the most blissful time he had ever had in his life. His teammates seemed to take pleasure in calling him "whipped," but he didn't mind. It was true. However, he now realized it was more than that term. It had been revealed in the last few words he had shouted at his father.

Those three little words had exposed the emotion that Troy had unknowingly hid from his parents, his friends, and even himself. The middle word especially. The true meaning of the word "love" was normally taboo in high school teenager conversations. Sure, girls squealed that they "loved" a new pair of earrings and guys exclaimed that they "loved" the new Xbox game that they had received for Christmas or their birthday or whatever, but all knew that the term was used very loosely. True love was a frightening concept. Revealing that you were, in all honesty, in love with someone was akin to revealing a weakness. A vulnerability. It was opening your chest and letting everyone see your inner self.

When Gabriella used that word in that fateful conversation yesterday, it hadn't really registered in Troy's brain at first. It was only after a few hours of thinking that he realized that she had spoken it. It hit him like a bag full of bricks. The fact that she had been so willing to share her soul over a cell phone conversation with him stunned him. She was so brave, so courageous, and didn't even care if he reciprocated the feeling or not. In fact, she hadn't even given him a chance to do so. It only made him—dare he think the term?—love her all the more.

And then Troy had subconsciously understood that he felt exactly the same way about her. To put it in the most clichéd way, she was his everything. She was the air that his lungs breathed, the scenery that his eyes gazed upon, the scent that he inhaled, and the spirit that his arms ached to hold. She was his inspiration and motivation. There was a reason that the few days when they had no contact with each other the previous summer had been the worst days of his entire life. The reason being that he couldn't survive without her. He couldn't breathe without her. He couldn't see without her. He couldn't sense or feel without her. And all of this emotion had spilled out of him in a rush of passion when his father had provoked him.

He now knew that he could never love another girl. Never. Not when he had fallen so hard for this one. He was willing to acknowledge that he knew what that taboo word meant—the implications and the raw emotions that came with it. He now knew that he loved Gabriella Montez with all of his heart. He was willing to do anything for her. Willing to do anything to bring them together again. Make them both happy again. And with that in mind, he pulled a napkin out of the almost empty McDonald's bag sitting in the passenger seat and a pen that had been rolling around on the floor of his truck, and started thinking. Thinking of ways that he could make this reunion the sweetest it could be for both of them.

* * *

The phone rang twice. Troy panicked. What if Gabriella picked up? What would he say? What if they weren't home? If they weren't home, then how was he going to make this work? But thankfully after a third ring, he heard a click and Maria Montez's voice. _"Hello?"_

"Um, hi, Mrs. Montez. This is Troy."

"_Oh! Hello Troy, what can I do for you today?"_

"I actually have a pretty big favor to ask of you." Troy said nervously. What would she think of his plan?

"_Alright. Can I hear it?"_

"Well, as you might have heard from Gabriella…well, she called me yesterday to tell me that she isn't coming back for prom or the musicale." He was getting tired of uttering that same phrase. It had been for the third time today.

"_Yes…she discussed that with me. I'm sorry, Troy. I tried to convince her otherwise. But I have to respect my daughter's wishes."_

"That's perfectly fine, Mrs. Montez," Troy replied. "The thing is…well…" he sighed. How was he going to convey his plan over the phone? He decided to take a plunge. "Okay, Mrs. Montez. This might freak you out, but I do have something to say of great importance."

There was a lull before Mrs. Montez's voice turned uneasy. _"Um…okay, Troy. Are you sure you don't want to speak to Gabriella?"_

"No, not at this moment, Mrs. Montez."

"_Alright, then."_

Troy took a deep breath. This was going to make or break his hopes for the journey. "I think you may already know this, but I…I…I care very deeply for your daughter." _Dang it_, he thought. _What a great way to put it_. "What I mean is…I…I love her, and I want to come to Stanford and hopefully convince her to come back for at least the show." He scratched his head nervously, awaiting her reply.

It was a nerve-wracking silence before Maria spoke. _"Troy. Do not doubt that I am completely serious here. Can I clarify for a moment? You say that you love my daughter, and you want to drive all the way here and retrieve her and bring her back to Albuquerque with you. For the show."_

Troy winced. The way that she put it wasn't giving him any hope. "I'm not doing this just because of the show, Mrs. Montez. I'm doing this because…because…" He sighed. "I'm doing this because…I know that I haven't been really happy these past two weeks. And when Gabriella called me yesterday she didn't seem too happy either. And I'm sorry if this is selfish, but judging by what Gabriella said on the phone, the reason she doesn't want to come back and see her friends is because she doesn't want to go through the pain of good-byes again. So what I'm getting from that is that she misses us. And believe me, we miss _her_." He had no idea when he had started slipping into using the plural _we_. "And all I want is for her to be happy. If she's happy, I'm happy. So I want to make her happy, and I think I can do that if she comes back with me. I don't particularly care about missing prom, or the show for that matter. I just want to bring her back." He finished his speech with a giant exhale.

He thought he heard a few chuckles over the line. _Oh, _no, he thought. _Great. She's laughing at my idea. She's going to tell me to throw my idea out the window, and she's going to ban me from ever seeing Gabriella or talking to her again, and—_

"_Troy?"_ Maria's voice broke his train of thought.

"Yes?" He answered weakly.

He heard her take a breath. _"I'm not going to pretend that your speech there didn't give me a lot to think about, a lot to digest."_ Pause. _"I can tell that you do indeed love my daughter. Again, I'm not going to pretend that that fact doesn't frighten me a bit, since she's my only child and I'm her only parent. This is all new for me."_

"I understand completely, Mrs. Montez," Troy reassured. "Well, not the stuff about being an only parent. I gave you a lot to contemplate, sorry."

"_No, that's completely fine, Troy. I am thankful that you're being honest with me. And I have to say that I'm thinking that your idea is a good one."_

Troy froze. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? The love of his life's mother wasn't banning him from seeing her ever again! She even wanted him to get her!

Maria was still talking. _"Do you have an idea of what you're going to do? When are you going to come?"_

He gathered himself before answering, "Yes. Yes, I do, actually. Okay, you might want to laugh at me for being, like, completely whipped, but I do honestly love Gabriella so much so I have this whole elaborate plan thingy. And I kind of need to know some stuff."

He heard her laugh before replying, _"Ask away, Troy."_

Grinning like a madmen now, Troy looked down at the napkin which was filled with words and question marks. "Okay. So I want to surprise her tomorrow. Could you tell me what classes she has tomorrow at what time? Oh, and where?"

Troy got off the phone with Mrs. Montez half an hour later with a satisfied smirk and the top sheet of a notepad filled with scratchy handwriting. He couldn't wait to see the look on Gabriella's beautiful face when he surprised her.

* * *

Jack stood uncomfortably in the doorway of Troy's room. "Troy?" He fidgeted. Talking to his son about this little jaunt to California to retrieve his girlfriend was bound to be both tricky and awkward. The subject of Gabriella had always been a touchy subject, and was even more so now than ever.

"Yeah?" Troy kept his voice guarded. He turned in his chair from his desk, which was littered with scraps of paper, pictures, pencils, and his phone.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Troy shrugged. "Sure."

Jack stepped hesitantly into the room and then continued to perch on the edge of the bed. Troy, meanwhile turned back in his chair, pretending to concentrate on the bits of paper.

"Troy, look at me." His father requested.

Troy slid his eyes reluctantly over and up.

His father sighed. "Listen, Troy…I guess I may have been a bit out of line there."

It was supremely hard for Troy to resist agreeing and rolling his eyes, but he managed to do so. He just simply acknowledged the statement by keeping eye contact with him.

His father continued, "I think I've underestimated your…uh…how much…uh…how much Gabriella really means to you."

Troy thought in his head, _No kidding, buddy_.

Jack sighed again. "I'm not going to pretend that this isn't really hard for me to discuss with you. Sometimes it's hard for me to separate being a dad and being a coach with you. But believe me, I can do it now. I think I know what it feels like to be completely in…uh…to be completely infatuated with a girl."

Troy took a breath and mentally encouraged himself before interrupting, "I'm not _infatuated_. I'm in love with her."

This assertion seemed to shock Jack for a moment again. He didn't expect that Troy would willingly state such a fact so blatantly out loud again after their argument earlier. He gathered himself before replying cautiously, "Okay. I know what it feels like to be _in love_ with a girl. And I'm not really going to go in-depth about that because it would be, okay…weird." He chuckled. "But trust me—I _do_ know what it feels like and how important being with her becomes in your life. As your coach, well, you know that I want you to keep on being focused so you can go to the best place you can for college. It's hard for me to accept that you have other prerequisites for colleges now, too."

Troy nodded tightly. The lecture wasn't boring him as much as he expected.

"I didn't mean to offend you when I encouraged you to make your own decision, unaffected by anyone else. It's just that most people, well, most people aren't able to keep a high school relationship all through college."

Troy rolled his eyes.

Jack reached out to stop him. "Troy! Stop it. Now I know that you and Gabriella aren't like most people. It seems like you're determined to stick together for a pretty long time."

"You could say that," Troy replied.

"Then, yes, you will probably need to keep her in mind when you're making your decision. But as your dad, you need to understand that I want the best for my son. I want my son to go to the best school for him. I want him to achieve his dreams and goals. And if something gets in his way, I get frustrated." Jack ran a hand through his dark hair. "So I'm just trying to explain why it's been so hard for me to see you so _into_…okay, _in love_ with Gabriella. I feel like you could be using the time that you spend with her on working towards your goals. But I'm trying to change that way of thinking, and you should give me credit for that."

Troy digested that speech for a minute. He then moved his head up and down in a slow nod. "Okay, Dad. I get it. Thank you for understanding that what Gabriella and I have is…more than real."

Jack looked relieved that he didn't have to "apologize" anymore. "No problem, Troy. Oh, and by the way, there's some salad leftover from dinner, if you're hungry." He pointed out the door.

"Nah, I'm good. I had a McDonald's when I went out for a drive." Troy responded. He once again focused on the slips of paper on his desk.

"So…uh…are you ready for your trip? When are you going to leave?" Jack wanted to bring the tension level between them back down to zero.

"Tonight." Troy attempted to send his dad the message that he had more things to plan out with this one-word answer.

"Well, I gathered as much. What time?"

The message didn't seem to get across. "I'm thinking around nine."

"That's good. Um…I guess I'll leave you to your…uh…preparation then." Jack pushed himself off the bed and walked to the doorway. Once he got there, he turned back and smiled at his son so immersed in planning his trip to the exact details. "Troy—just remember, I'm proud of you…and I love you." He then stepped into the hallway and continued back to the kitchen.

A few seconds later he heard the faint reply, "Love you too, Dad."

* * *

"_Dude…why are you calling me?! It's 6:50 in the morning! I'm gonna see you at school in, like, ten minutes!"_ Chad complained, his voice higher and whinier over the phone than in person.

"Chad…dude, you're not gonna see me at school." Troy tried to explain.

"_What? Hoops, if you're just joking with me, it's too early and I'm not in the mood. Seriously. I'm gonna see you soon anyway so get off the phone so I nap for like five more minutes."_

"Chad!" Troy attempted again. "Listen! I'm on my way to get Gabriella."

"_WHAT?!"_ Chad squawked.

Troy rolled his eyes. "I'm on my way to get Gabriella."

"_Uh…Gabriella Montez that is currently living on the campus of Stanford University in California?"_

"Yes. What other Gabriella is there? No, listen, yeah. I'm at a random rest stop. I just napped for, like three hours."

"_Dude…you are _so_ whipped. You gonna be back in time for prom?"_

Troy scoffed out loud. "What do you think?"

"_Uh…yeah! You told me you weren't planning on missing prom."_

"Well, I'm not going to prom without Gabriella. There's no way that I'm going to make it back in time, so yeah, I'm missing the official East High one, but hopefully Gabi and I are gonna have our own special one."

Chad whistled. _"Hoo boy! I can't wait to hear about this."_

"Chad!" Troy winced. His friend could be so immature. "I didn't mean that in any other way than I said it. I just want to make the girl that I love happy, alright?"

"_Whi-ipped."_

"Shut up."

Chad laughed. _"Alright, Hoops, you have fun doing that. Man, I can't believe you're missing prom! What about those rites of passages or whatever they're called? Stuff that you do with your friends and then in twenty years talk and laugh about how stupid it was? You're missing prom! Oh my god. Prom! Of all things to miss, Hoops, you had to miss this one. Way to go."_

"Chad, you make it sound like the same thing as missing, oh, I don't know, championships or something. It's just prom." Troy retorted. "Besides, didn't you want to skip at the beginning? What did Taylor think about that?"

"_She didn't know about it! Sheesh. You think I'd risk losing my basketball forever to her? That's what would've happened if I told her that I didn't want to go."_

Troy laughed again. "Agreed. Anyways, I don't want to be late, so I gotta go."

"_Alright, Hoops. You have fun. Tell Gabriella I say hi, will you? And I'll be sure to have fun at prom without you."_ Chad promised.

Chuckling, Troy replied, "'Kay, thanks Chad. Bye."

* * *

Troy trudged up the front steps to the Montezs' new front door. He raised his right finger slowly and pushed the circular button next to door. A faint echo sounded within the house. _Ding-dong_.

A few seconds later, the maroon door opened and the figure of Maria Montez appeared. The corners of her mouth uplifted into a beam. "Troy! How nice to see you made it here safely and in one piece. Come in, come in!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Montez." Troy entered the single-family home and gazed around. Most of their furniture from their former home in Albuquerque was in this new one. The only difference was their placement. "This is a pretty nice house." He flopped onto the couch before remembering his manners and that he was technically a guest and straightened up.

"Thanks, Troy. Now, how was your drive? Did you stop anywhere?" Mrs. Montez perched on the arm of the stuffed chair.

Troy breathed heavily in and out through his nose. "It was okay. Yeah, I stopped at a random rest stop and napped for like, three hours. Then I woke up and called Chad and started driving again."

She nodded. "Your mom called around half an hour ago. She wants you to call her back. I'll show you to the guest room if you want some privacy."

"Sure. Thanks."

They walked down a hallway across from the living room. "This is Gabriella's room," Mrs. Montez pointed to a room that was filled with light shining through sizeable windows. "And this is the guest room," she pointed at the room adjacent.

Troy wanted to have a look in Gabriella's room, to see what pictures and such she had up, but he very well couldn't with Mrs. Montez observing. He made a mental note to persuade his girlfriend later, after their reunion. He then turned his attention to the guest room where Mrs. Montez's finger led.

"I'll let you have some privacy now, Troy." Mrs. Montez tactfully turned to leave him in the room alone.

"Um…Mrs. Montez?" The voice startled her a bit and she halted.

"Yes, Troy? What can I do for you?"

Troy cleared his throat. "I just wanted to…uh…thank you for agreeing to all of this. I know it might be a bit hard, but I want to let you know that I'll _never_ hurt Gabriella or do anything to make her upset, and I'll _always_ try to make Gabriella the happiest she can be."

Maria Montez was touched by the sincerity and earnestness in his voice. His words couldn't help but lead her to imagine a few years down the road. She wondered where her daughter and the young man with the mop of brown hair and bright blue eyes standing in front of her could be. She didn't know where they were going to live or what professions they would choose, but she had a feeling that they would be together.

"Thank _you_, Troy, for being so honest with me." She said with a twinkle in her eye. "I have to say that if you _didn't_ come, I may have had to persuade you to do so to assist me in forcing Gabriella to stop moping around." With a wink, she departed, leaving Troy standing there with a smile slowly beginning to stretch from ear to ear.

Two minutes later, Troy snapped out of the reverie that she had left him in, and after pressing speed dial number two, raised his sleek cell phone to his ear. After two rings, he heard a click and the concern of his mother's voice. _"Troy? Honey? Are you there? Did you make it all right? No problems? Are you sleepy?"_

"Hey, Mom." He interrupted. "Yeah, I just got here, like, ten minutes ago."

"_How is Mrs. Montez?"_ Lucille inquired.

"She's good. Their house is pretty cool."

"_That's good, that's good."_ His mother said a bit distractedly. _"Now, are you sleepy? Maybe you should take a nap before getting Gabriella. You did a lot of driving, sweetie."_

"Nah, Mom, I'm good. I took, like, a three-hour nap at a rest stop along the way." He pushed the topic of sleep aside.

"_Oh, that's good. I couldn't bear to think what situation you might have gotten into if you hadn't slept at all."_ She said, relieved. _"So, are you preparing to meet Gabriella? Is your suit unwrinkled? What about the corsage? Is it still fresh?"_

"Yeah, Mom, the suit's looking good and so's the corsage." Troy smiled a pleased smile. Time to put the rest of his plan into action. There was only an hour left until he could reunite with the love of his life. He couldn't wait to rush into her embrace and hold her tight to his heart. He couldn't wait to breathe in the scent of her hair and rejoice in the taste of her tender lips.

_Gabriella Montez, get ready for the best surprise of your life._

**

* * *

**

AN: Review, please? Thanks so much for reading.


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